Israeli Paralympic swimmer Ami Dadaon won gold Sunday in the men’s 50-meter breaststroke (SB3 classification) at the World Para Swimming Championships in Singapore, capturing his first-ever world title in the stroke.
Dadaon clocked 48.17 seconds, setting a new Israeli record. The victory adds to his already decorated career; he won four medals at last summer’s Paralympic Games in Paris.
Teammate Veronika Guirenko narrowly missed the podium in the women’s 50-meter breaststroke final, finishing fourth with a time of 1:19.60. Another Israeli competitor, Shay Bar Nitzan, made her world championship debut and placed eighth in the women’s 100-meter backstroke final with 1:43.58.
More than 580 swimmers from 75 nations are competing in the championships. Israel’s seven-member team, all members of the Ilan Haifa club and coached by national team coach Yaakov Beninson, includes Dadaon, Ariel Malyar, Girenko, Yulia Gordichuk, Iyad Shalabi — returning after the death of his father, who had been his longtime trainer and companion, and newcomers Noam Katev, 18, and Bar Nitzan, 20.
The delegation is headed by Dr. Osnat Fliess Douer. Shalabi and Gordichuk carried Israel’s flag at the opening ceremony. Israel’s ambassador to Singapore, Eli Vered Hazan, and his deputy, Abigail Shapira, attended the competition to extend New Year greetings and wish the athletes success.
Beninson emphasized the importance of the team representing Israel, “especially in these challenging days.”